Syria must work towards a democratic future, Prime Minister David Cameron said today as he welcomed an insurance ban on all European Union ships carrying arms to the country.

He said the EU ban was the result of UK actions, as he told MPs that civilians were falling victim to an "appalling slaughter" in the country.

Mr Cameron said he had held talks on "the margins" of last week's G20 conference in Mexico, telling the Commons the country needed to forge a democratic future.

He said: "On Syria, where the regime continues to pound civilian areas with mortar attack and snipers, the EU is today, as the result of UK efforts, extending sanctions to ban any EU companies from insuring ships taking arms to Syria.

"We will continue to work with our international partners, including the UN, to stop the appalling slaughter and help forge a political transition to a democratic future that protects the rights of all its communities."